Make a formal complaint about an ambulance medic?

[KungFuPandaWorksOut20]

I want to say I understand with corona virus ambulance and NHS are stretched, that's why I'm asking for opinions.

Phoned 111 last night, my husband hasn't been well for nearly a week. But last night he wasn't himself. His temp was raging, and he was in a state of confusion. I went through his symptoms, they kept coming back to COVID-19, I explained he's not showing any of them but still answered their checklist.

They send an ambulance, which arrives within an hour. The woman enters wearing protective equipment, and straight away I found her quite rude. She greeted my husband with are you the one who is supposedly ill? She's asking him questions and not get much sense from him. She radio's someone and says I don't think it's COVID-19, more like a person with a cold feeling sorry for themselves.

I explained I never once rang it through as the corona virus, I was massively concerned about his temp he was struggling to manage and his confusion.

She exits and says she needs to phone someone. 10 minutes later she knocks on passes me paperwork and says he needs to go to an OOH and it isn't corona virus.

I read over the paperwork and honestly it is filled with so much rubbish it's like it's someone else's form. For instance she's put down allergies he doesn't have. Wrote down he refused too speak with them, the only reason they've revered him to an OOH because he insisted. (He refused to speak with them, yet insisted he gets referred )

The OOH doctor was a bit arsey when we first arrived, because it was clear the lady had made out like he was there over nothing.

Long story cut short, turns out he has pneumonia (nothing covid related) hence the reason for the delirium and temp. Once the doctor realised something was wrong she was absolutely amazing!

I get the ambulance service is extremley stretched given the current state of affairs, but WIBU in reporting the medic? I just feel massively let down on my husband's behalf.

I agree in an ideal world the complaint would have that affect, in my service at least they are only ever used as a tool to further attack staff by non clinical management, taking them off the road in order to sign the letter and give their version, or the crew never hear about it and its just processed and filled.

For the comments about the pneumonia being a serious illness and needs an ambulance because xyz died of pneumonia then in order to cater for this for everyone with pneumonia then toy would literally have to stop sending ambulances to all other jobs. There are so few ambulances out there its unreal! At the moment in my area cardiac arrest response time is typically over 10 minutes now. We dont have the resources to cover cardinal arrest, heart attack, stroke. Pneumonia/sepsis and unable to get out of bed, completely delirious then ambulance absolutely, but from how you describe the situation yourself it's obvious an ambulance wasn't required.

Ah! I've helped people make compaints via PALS and had some really good responses. I hope some of them were not forced, as they made such a difference to my clients!

They are looked at individually and obviously just hearing about about a compliant should encourage some self reflection. It is normal practice though to send a letter template back to the patient to placate them. Obviously if there is an accusation of clinical harm then a case review would be triggered and the crew taken off the road for a day to discuss the job in more detail/answers reviewed by panel. In this case it doesn't sound like this occurred as the patient was referred for review and admission. If this complaint was reviewed it sounds like it would be a case of he said she said, no doubt the clinician will have a different version of the incident.

I wouldn't complain as such but I'd raise the issue of incorrect information. I know they are under it at the moment but incorrect information could be dangerous. So could the attitude that anything other than Coronavirus doesn't warrant their attention atm.

If this complaint was reviewed it sounds like it would be a case of he said she said, no doubt the clinician will have a different version of the incident.

Or a case of "the information you have written down is totally inaccurate, why is that?"

I would definitely make an official complaint. To list allergies your DH doesn't have is inexcusable. It could mean the difference between him having the most appropriate medication for his condition or not.

Pnuemonia is also a complication of Corinavirus so I would be questioning how they managed to rule it out.

For those saying they'd let it go this time, there is no reason to excuse inaccuracy and rudeness by a paramedic ever. Their work is supposed to be carried out systematically precisely to ensure mistakes are eradicated/minimised. They only attend one patient at a time and should give their full undivided attention to that patient.

OP, I am pleased the doctor diagnosed your DH and wish him a speedy and full recovery. YANBU to raise an official complaint about the medics.

What are the symptoms we're to look out for? high temperature, chest issues. What does the OPs husband have? Bingo.

This - it's not as if his symptoms were D&V, or back pain, or a rash.

"the information you have written down is totally inaccurate, why is that"

It wouldn't go like that. At the end of the day they've identified he needed to see a doctor and made arrangements for it. If they really didnt care or weren't listening then you would eithet just have been dumped in the hospital waiting room as this is very easy/path of least resistance and minimal clinical risk, or he would have been told "its just a cough itll get better on it's own". Neither of these happened. Referring to a gp takes longer/the most work. If the initial post was recorded as a compliant to my service the concersation on the station could well be "weve had a complaint from a 111 chest infection you attended to a 3 weeks ago, says you wrote down the wrong allergies and that you wrote down they didnt want to goto hospital when actually they weren't sure what they wanted... not sure what they want you to do, do you remember the job? No? Well anyway can you sign this letter apologising for their feelings, ta, have a good shift...." unless of course as alluded to the middle management get hold of it and demand written statements of a job you dont remember, make you attend a meeting and make threats on you, but inevitably nothing happens because nobody died.

it's very common for the patients story to differ from what's given on an initial call, to the clinician on scene and then with staff at the hospital. It's why we should all ask the same questions over and over. Regards the incorrect allergies it can be as simple as the patient isn't actually correctly aware of what they are allergic to or what the nature of the allergy is, ideally the difference would be picked up but it was probably just copied down from system one which is where we get your medical records from. Unless they were giving medications without confirming your allergy status which is obviously a significant failure. The former occurs regularly!

Regards the history/perspective view points vary widely. For example from the paramedics perspective this could have been: "well you called 111 so obviously you didn't expect an ambulance or wish to goto hospital, but as you're feeling very tired and not your normally chatty self which your partner is calling confusion we'll arrange for you to see a gp". Documented as pt feels tired and unwell, aseessment suggests chest infection, not wishing to goto hospital, referred to gp who accepted pt for review. Pt mobilising and able to make own way with partner. Obs not scoring on sepsis markers.

Obviously I wasn't there but it's amazing how much people can interpret the situation differently.

Well they'll be testing all hospital cases of pneumonia anyway so if he is found to have Covid and he's so far been treated as not with staff handling him without PPE and put on a ward with other vulnerable patients, they're gonna look like right wallys, so yes id complain. Covid is now community based transmission in many areas so you could pick it up from anywhere.

Just heard about someone being told off for calling an ambulance. Told they should have called the NHS line first. They did. They were on hold for over 30 minutes and were having a heart attack.

The incorrect notes infers incompetence, either through actual incompetence (lack knowledge/training etc) or through exhaustion and overwhelmed - either way she is dangerous to be incompetent at her job in this situation, she should be able to temper her bedside manner, she should be able to remain sufficiently calm and civil to extract the appropriate information to assess her patient appropriately and to provide correctly detailed notes - not doing so if putting her patient at risk.

I would complain, it is out of order to behave like that they joined the job to help people not ridicule them.
I understand that the job is stressful but just because it is stressful does not give them the right to behave so nasty.

I have family & friends who work for the nhs all frontline staff.
I have seen them exhausted but just because you are "tired" you cannot treat people with contempt